Baled Silage Wayne Coblentz USDA-ARS US Dairy Forage Research Center Marshfield, WI.
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Transcript of Baled Silage Wayne Coblentz USDA-ARS US Dairy Forage Research Center Marshfield, WI.
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Baled Silage
Wayne Coblentz
USDA-ARS
US Dairy Forage Research Center
Marshfield, WI
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Goal: Silage Preservation
• Anaerobic (without air) bacteria convert plant sugars to lactic acid.
• This process lowers the pH and preserves the forage as silage.
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Sequence of Phases in the Silo for Good Fermentation
Source: R. E. Pitt
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Burp
Lactic Acid Bacteria
Consuming Sugar
Lactic Acid,The “Good Silage”
Acid
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Regardless of silo type, most management principles are the same.
● start with high-quality forage
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• manage the moisture content of the forage
• excessively wet or dry silages can both be
problematic
• standards vary somewhat with silo type
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• eliminate air
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• maintain silo integrity
• particularly important for plastic structures
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• avoid poor feedout management
• too much exposure to air is problematic
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Baled Silage:
Some Specifics
1. Baled Silage vs. Hay
2. Baled vs. Conventional Silage
3. Crop Factors
4. Moisture Management
5. Elimination of Air
6. Feedout Management
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1. Why Choose Baled Silage over Hay?
• well-made baled silage will often exhibit better quality characteristics than corresponding hays
• increased leaf losses (hay)
• harvest delays (inclement weather)
• rain damage
• spontaneous heating
• weathering after baling (outdoor storage)
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Plant Cell
Cell Wall
Cell Solubles
Metabolic Machinery
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Delaying Harvest: NDF (%) within KY-31 Tall Fescue at Various Maturities
45
50
55
60
65
Pre-boot Late boot Early bloom Soft dough
Source: C.S. Hoveland and N.S. Hill, University of Georgia
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Delaying Haying for Favorable Weather Annual Ryegrass
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
%
CP NDF
Haylage Baled Silage Hay
McCormick et al. (1998): annual ryegrass (1993-94); silages harvested mid-April, hay in early May
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Dry Matter Loss - Orchardgrass vs. Bermudagrass
0.0
2.0
4.0
6.0
8.0
10.0
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0
Rainfall (inches)
DM
Lo
ss
(%
)
OG - 15.3%
BER - 13.0%
Risks of Rain Damage in Hay Production(Scarbrough et al., 2005)
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Spontaneous Heating in Alfalfa Hay vs. Baled Silage
Hancock and Collins (2006): alfalfa harvested at mid-bud stage of maturity; hay baled at 19.8% moisture and stored outside, uncovered; hay received two rainfall events totaling 0.6 inches prior to baling.
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-9.0
-8.0
-7.0
-6.0
-5.0
-4.0
-3.0
-2.0
-1.0
0.0
1.0
0 400 800 1200 1600 2000
Heating Degree Days > 30oC
ΔIV
TD
, P
erce
nta
ge
Un
its Y = (6.8 * (e - 0.0000037*x*x )) - 6.9
R2 = 0.820
Wisconsin Round Bale Study Heat-Damaged Hay
(2006-07)
In Vitro True Digestibility
N = 32 baling treatments
Initial = 77.2%, which corresponds generally to ∆IVTD = 0 on the y-axis
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Combined Effects of Rain Damage and Modest Spontaneous Heating
0
10
20
30
40
50
%
NDF Lignin
Prestorage (Baled Silage)
Prestorage (Hay/Rain)
Baled Silage (61.3%)
Hay (19.8%)
Hancock and Collins (2006): alfalfa harvested at mid-bud stage of maturity; hay baled at 19.8% moisture and stored outside, uncovered; hay received two rainfall events totaling 0.6 inches prior to baling.
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2. Baled Silage vs. Precision-Chopped Haylage
How Do They Compare?
• lack of chopping action forces sugars to diffuse from inside the plant to reach lactic-acid bacteria located on the outside of the forage
• although dependent on many factors, baled silage may be less dense (DM/ft3) than some other (chopped) silo types, which also may restrict availability of sugars to lactic acid bacteria
• lower bale density, and greater ratio of surface area to forage DM, potentially make baled silage more susceptible to entrapment and/or penetration by O2
• recommendations for the moisture content of baled silage are 5 to 20 percentage units lower than for chopped forages; this alone will restrict fermentation
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Baled vs. Precision-Chopped SilageAlfalfa/Grass
Muck (2006) – adapted from Nicholson et al. 1991; average moisture content of silages was 61%
■ Baled
▲ Chopped
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Fermentation Characteristics Chopped Haylage vs. Baled Silage
0
20
40
60
80
Moisture, %
Chopped HaylageBaled Silage
McCormick et al. (1998)
2
3
4
5
6
pH Lactic, % Acetic, %
Chopped Haylage
Baled Silage
- annual ryegrass (1993-94)
- 4 x 4 bales
- silages harvested mid-April in southeast Louisiana
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3. Effects of Crop Factors on Baled Silage
• harvest high-quality forages – expensive equipment generally will not improve forage quality
• damaged, or mismanaged forages that ferment poorly in conventional silo types also are likely to make poor baled silage
• harvest at proper growth stage (sugar status)
• remember that forage species are inherently different
- legumes ≠ cool-season (cs) grasses
- cs grasses ≠ warm-season (ws) grasses
- ws annuals ≠ ws perennials
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Crop FactorsSugar Status: Nonstructural CHO in Stem Bases of
Perennial Cool-Season Grasses
green up
Time
CHO, %
stem elongation
anthesis
mature seed
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Concentrations of CHO in Orchardgrass
Plant Part
Proportion of Plant Weight
Reducing
Sugars
Sucrose
Fructan
% ------------ % of DM -------------
Leaf – top 2/3 14.0 1.4 8.4 7.6
Leaf – lower 1/3 12.1 1.2 5.8 22.0
Tiller base (upper) 9.4 1.9 3.6 23.7
Tiller base (lower) 23.6 0.7 2.6 36.2
Roots 40.9 1.2 8.9 8.2
Sprague and Sullivan (1950)
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Species Differences: Fermentation Characteristics
3
6
9
12
15
% o
f D
M
WSC (PRE) WSC (POST) Lactic Acid (POST)
Alfalfa
Perennial Ryegrass
Han et al. (2006): mean of ideal (48.8%) and low (29.5%) moisture bales
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Species Differences: Effects on pH
4.5
5.0
5.5
pH
Alfalfa Ryegrass
Han et al. (2006): mean of ideal (48.8%) and low (29.5%) moisture bales
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4. Moisture Management for Baled Silage
• Generally, baled silage should be packaged at 40 to 60% moisture; the average for the whole field or group of bales should be about 50%.
• Bale weight can be a safety/equipment issue.
• Systems for baled silage will generally accommodate excessively dry forages better than excessively wet ones.
- clostridial fermentations (wet)
- bale deformation, tensile stress on plastic (wet)
- migration/concentration of water
• moisture in the plant ≠ moisture on the plant
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Typical Compositions of Grass Silages Produced by Five Different Types of Fermentation.
-------------------- Silage type ---------------------
Item LAC BUT ACE WILT STER
Dry matter, % 19.0 17.0 17.6 30.8 21.2
pH 3.9 5.2 4.8 4.2 5.1
Protein N, % of N 23.5 35.3 44.0 28.9 74.0
Ammonia N, % of N 7.8 24.6 12.8 8.3 3.0
Lactic acid, % 10.2 0.1 3.4 5.9 2.6
Acetic acid, % 3.6 2.4 9.7 2.4 1.0
Butyric acid, % 0.1 3.5 0.2 0.1 0.1
WSC, % 1.0 0.6 0.3 4.8 13.3
Source: McDonald and Edwards (1976)
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Moisture Management (Clostridial Fermentations)
Some Characteristics of High-Risk Forages
● high moisture content (after ensiling)
● direct cut
● immature, rapidly growing
● highly contaminated with dirt, especially if manured
● low sugar
● high buffering capacity
● high protein
● leguminous
● non-homogenous forages (baled silage)
● anything that slows or limits pH decline in wet forages
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Moisture Management (Clostridial Fermentations)
Principle Fermentation Products/Characteristics● ammonia
● amines
● butyric acid
● high pH
● low lactic acid
● high DM losses
● poor intake by cattle
Solutions/Prevention● wilt at risk forages to <65% moisture (<60% for baled silage)
● avoid soil contamination, especially if soil is manured
● optimize fermentation/pH decline
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Clostridial spores
Sugar and Lactic Acid
Butyric Acid “Bad, Evil-Smelling Silage”
Clostridial Fermentations
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Results = acetate, CO2, lactate, ethanol, and H2
Enterobacteriaceae
Enterobacteriaceae bacteria
Sugaract on . . .
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Direct (62.8%) and Wilted (47.4%) Late-Harvested Eastern Gamagrass Silage (July 1995; Manhattan, KS)
4.0
4.5
5.0
5.5
6.0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Days
Sila
ge
pH
Direct cut
Wilted
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Effects of Moisture Content on Silage pH
4.0
4.5
5.0
5.5
pH
61.3% 50.2% 37.4%
Hancock and Collins (2006): combined data from two trials; alfalfa harvested at mid-bud stage of maturity
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Effects of Moisture Content on Lactic Acid
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
% o
f D
M
Lactic Acid
61.3%
50.2%
37.4%
Hancock and Collins (2006): combined data from two trials; alfalfa harvested at mid-bud stage of maturity
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Effects of Moisture Content and Rain-Damage on Fermentation
4.5
5.0
5.5
6.0
6.5
pH
62.7% 50.6% 39.3% (Rain - 1.4 inches)
0.0
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
6.0
% o
f DM
Lactic Acid
62.7% 50.6% 39.3% (Rain - 1.4 inches)
Borreani and Tabacco (2006)
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Effects of Moisture Content on Bale Deformation (ft vertical/ft horizontal)
0.800
0.850
0.900
0.950
1.000
Post-Storage Deformation Ratio
61.3% 50.2% 37.4% Hay
Hancock and Collins (2006): combined data from two trials; alfalfa harvested at mid-bud stage of maturity; estimate for hay is mean of bales made at 16.6 and 19.8% moisture, and stored outdoors, uncovered.
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5. Elimination of Air
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• causes respiration of plant sugars to CO2, water, and heat
• reduces pool of fermentable CHO (sugars)
• dry matter loss
• increases (indirectly) fiber content of the silage
• decreases energy density of silage
• heat damage to silage proteins
Oxygen + respiratory enzymes
Sugaract on . . .
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● reduce ground speed
● increase PTO speed
● thinner windrows will increase revolutions/bale
● manage moisture appropriately (≈ 50%)
● maintain constant bale size
● baler/operator experience
bulk density >10 lbs DM/ft3
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Moisture ------- 58.7% ------ ------- 52.4% -------
Density, lbs/ft3 12.9 10.9 12.4 10.4
pH 4.7 4.9 4.8 5.1
lactic acid, % 7.0 6.5 7.1 6.3
acetic acid, % 2.4 3.8 3.3 2.0
max temp, oF 107 109 108 106
DM REC, % 98.6 98.6 97.8 98.3
Effects of Bale Density on Fermentation
Han et al. (2004): high density bales created at 842 x 103 Pa of chamber
pressure; lower density bales made at 421 x 103 Pa.
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Sealing the Bale
● lack of uniformity will create air pockets for in-line wrapped bales
● use UV-resistant plastic
● wrap as quickly as possible after baling (within 2 hours is ideal)
● use (at least) four layers of stretched plastic (six for long-term storage and/or in southern states)
● storage site selection/maintenance is important
● do not puncture plastic - isolate from cattle, pets, and vermin
● patch holes with appropriate tape
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Hydraulic Bale Grapple
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Wrap
Delay At Wrapping Day 1* Day 2 Day 4 Day 6 Day 14
h ----------------------------------- oF -----------------------------------
No wrap 99 121 127 150 145 135
0 91 93 95 89 84 76
24 110 119 114 101 92 75
48 136 142 130 109 95 72
96 147 145 133 110 92 73
Effects of Delaying Wrapping on Internal Bale Temperature (63% Moisture)
Vough et al. (2006): data adapted from Undersander et al. (2003); all square bales of alfalfa wrapped with eight mils of plastic film.
* Denotes days from wrapping.
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Trial Moisture Plastic NDF ADF Lactic Acid pH
# % layers ------------------ % ------------------ #
1 50.2 2 42.6 32.2 1.33 4.80
4 38.9 30.1 1.96 4.88
6 39.8 30.4 1.68 4.93
37.4 2 43.3 31.5 2.56 5.81
4 39.2 29.7 1.50 4.60
6 39.6 30.2 1.51 4.98
2 61.3 2 35.9 24.3 4.52 4.49
4 34.5 23.0 4.47 4.48
6 33.3 24.0 4.64 4.62
Effects of Wrapping Layers on Fermentation and Alfalfa Forage Quality
Hancock and Collins (2006)
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6. Feedout Management
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Aerobic Stability of Wheat and Orchardgrass Baled Silage
Wheat - harvested at milk stage
- 37.6% moisture
- 11.1 lbs DM/ft3
Orchardgrass
- harvested at heading stage
- 45.6% moisture
- 13.6 lbs DM/ft3
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Rhein et al. (2005)
University of Arkansas
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Surface pH after Exposure
4.0
4.5
5.0
5.5
6.0
6.5
pH
0 2 4 8 16 24 32
Days Exposed
OrchardgrassWheat
Rhein et al. (2005)
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Comparisons of Stable and Reactor Wheat Baled Silage
Treatment
DM Recovery
Visual Score
Final pH
MAX Temp
% oF
Surface
Stable - - - 1.00 4.81 52.0
Reactor - - - 4.00 7.91 139.4
Center
Stable 100.0 - - - 5.02 47.8
Reactor 92.8 - - - 5.49 85.3
Rhein et al. (2005)
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Summary• Producers can make good silage using proper
baling and wrapping techniques.
• Most principles of management for conventional chopped silage still apply to baled silage.
• Moisture management is critical; baled silage techniques will accommodate drier (<50%) forages much better than relatively wet (>65%) ones.
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Summary• Fermentation may occur at a slower rate for baled
silage because forages are ensiled on a whole-plant basis, and are usually drier at harvest.
• As a result, producers should diligently address other management details, such as maximizing bale density, applying plastic wrap promptly and properly, and protecting the wrapped product from damage until feeding.